


The whole world is watching (when you rise)

by Daughter_of_Scotland



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Laura stays alive, M/M, No one actively dies, Not Canon Compliant, Peter stays a Beta, Peter's not crazy, Starts the summer before Season 1, Stiles is underage when they kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-02
Packaged: 2018-02-23 21:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2556380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daughter_of_Scotland/pseuds/Daughter_of_Scotland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An accident gives Stiles community service at the Beacon Hills hospital.<br/>There he meets the comatose Peter Hale - who's not actually comatose and becomes part of a pack of Werewolves.<br/>This is what they call "the summer of a lifetime".</p>
            </blockquote>





	The whole world is watching (when you rise)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LittleMissGriff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissGriff/gifts).



> Title from the Song "Whole World is Watching" by Within Temptation.
> 
> In my universe, Peter only went crazy after getting his Alphapowers. Since this is not happening, he never becomes crazy.

Melissa looked heartbroken as she stood in the doorway of her house, blocking Stiles’ way in.

“I’m really sorry, Stiles, but it’s better this way,” she said. “I just… I can’t let you do this anymore. You were lucky, this time, but what about your next idea? I can’t lose him, Stiles. I’m sorry, but you’re not allowed to see Scott for the rest of the summer.”

Stiles fought to swallow the lump in his throat. “I… I understand,” he croaked. “Would you tell him I’m sorry?”

Melissa smiled sadly. “I will. But he knows, Stiles. He’s not angry with you. But he agrees that it would be best to put some distance between you two.”

Stiles nodded and turned around, leaving on foot to get home. He knew there would be consequences to what happened and frankly, this was better than he’d expected. If Scott was not angry with him, nor seemed Melissa, there was still hope to get his best friend back.

But only if he stopped getting him into trouble that could potentially kill him.

It had been a simple idea; sleeping in the burned down Hale House for one night.  He hadn’t known that it was still so dangerous that Scott would fall down as the stairs collapsed under him. He was lucky that he only broke his leg, the doctor had said.

Stiles wasn’t hurt himself but he knew he was in trouble with his dad. The Sheriff decided that he wouldn’t prosecute Scott for trespassing, but Stiles would have to serve community service at the hospital.

Not the kind of summer he had been dreaming about.

 

***

 

“Melissa has told me about you,” the nurse, Iris, said when Stiles arrived for his first shift at the hospital. “She says you’re a good kid. Troubled, but all kids are at some point. So I offered to take you on for the summer.”

She handed Stiles some scrubs. “You’ll work with the long-term care patients. Coma, Dementia, that kind of thing. You will not touch the patients at the beginning. The first few days you’ll just follow me, learn the routine. After that you’ll start feeding and, in some cases, entertain them. If you hurt any of the patients, even by accident, I will report to your father. Is that understood?”

Stiles nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” he answered quietly. “I’ll be good. I don’t want to do anything wrong, I promise.”

Iris smiled a bit and showed him the changing rooms. Stiles hurried up before going back out to meet her.

“We’ll start with breakfast,” she explained while he walked behind her to the kitchen. “We have six long-term patients right now, which is why it’s only me right now. Well, and you, I suppose.”

They started to prepare the trays for breakfast as Iris continued to explain: “Breakfast is at half past seven. Then we’ll bring the ones who are able to go to the toilet, and change the catheters for those who are not. We’ll bring them outside if the weather is good, if not, we bring them to the entertainment room in the afternoon.

Lunch is at noon, tea around half past three and dinner at seven. In between there’s clothing, washing, changing the sheets… Never a dull moment.

Of course you won’t always be here for the early shift,” she added at Stiles panicked look. “You’ll be here either at seven in the morning until three in the afternoon or from half past twelve until eight in the evening, when everyone should be in bed. You also have half an hour of break which the nurse on shift will assign to you. Any questions?”

Stiles’ head was spinning. “Not yet,” he answered, feeling lost. “I’m just not sure how to do all that.”

She smiled again. “Don’t worry,” she said, handing him the breakfast cart with the trays on it. “It’s pretty easy once you have it all down. And as I said, you’re not going to do most of it anyway.”

They started their rounds.

Iris introduced Stiles to every patient, no matter if they were awake or, as in the case of Ms. Harding, in a coma and fed by a tube.

“Most of them can eat by themselves,” Iris said as she handed Mr. Jenkins his apple sauce which he carefully spooned into his mouth. “But some of them need our help.”

She opened the last door.

A man in a wheelchair sat in front of the window, watching the sun rise.

“Good morning, Mr. Hale,” Iris said. “This is Stiles. He’s going to help us out this summer.”

Stiles waved at the man, barely holding himself back from letting out a sound at the sight of his burned face. He hadn’t known Peter Hale was in the hospital. He wondered if his father thought it would be an appropriate punishment for what he did.

“He can get out of bed and into his wheelchair on his own,” explained Iris while she fed the man. “But he needs directions to the bathroom and he won’t feed himself. Sometimes he stands before the closet, then we know he wants to get dressed, but most days he just sits here and enjoys the sun.”

Stiles listened to her explanations with more curiosity than he did with the others. For some reason, Peter fascinated him. “Can he speak at all?” he asked.

Iris shook her head. “No. But he does understand us. Sometimes his niece, Laura, calls, and we put her on speaker so he can hear her voice. Sometimes he even smiles. Other times, he cries. So we know he can still hear and comprehend what is said to him.”

She finished feeding the man and took away the tray. “He likes books,” she added and nodded to the full bookshelf. “Maybe later you could read to him”.

Stiles walked over to the shelf. The books all seemed new – no wonder, the old ones probably all burned in the fire. “Do you have a preference?” he asked Peter but didn’t receive an answer, not even a tilt of the head. Stiles shrugged and selected one – George Orwell’s _1984_ – to read later.

He continued to follow Iris for the next hours, trying to commit everything she said to memory. He knew he would do the same for at least three more days before he was allowed to do anything by himself but that was probably for the best. He wasn’t sure he felt very comfortable with touching the patients yet.

After lunch he helped Iris bring the patients outside – it was a warm day so they set them up under the parasols. Stiles had brought the book from Peter’s room and sat himself in the middle of a circle made by Peter himself, Mr. Jenkins, and Mrs. Jordan. He cleared his throat and began reading.

 

***

 

A week went by and Stiles got used to the work at the hospital. He had gradually started to feed the more lucid patients, laid out clothes for those who could choose their own, and helped dress them. He wasn't allowed to wash them or help them in the bathroom but he wasn't very sad about that.  
His favorite part of the work was spending time with the patients during the afternoon. He read to them, played chess with Mrs. Andrews, who couldn't move the pieces herself but was able to tell him how she wanted to play, and looked through Mr. Lolands' family pictures with him. It was strangely peaceful, Stiles discovered.  
  
"You have the late shift next week", Iris told him. "You'll work with Jenny. She always has the late shift, she's weird like that. But nice. You'll get along well, I'm sure."  
Stiles nodded. He had been wondering when he would meet another co-worker. "Can't wait," he said truthfully.

 

Jenny was, for lack of a better word, weird. She talked to all the patients, even the comatose Ms Harding, as if they could hear her. She even got angry with some of them.  
Worst was Peter Hale, though. Even though he was just as unresponsive with her as he was with anyone else, she seemed to think he was perfectly healthy. More than once Stiles found Peter in his room with the food on his table growing cold, because Jenny didn't bother to feed him.  
The third time this happened Stiles was seriously thinking about reporting her. He was so distracted by his thoughts he forgot his phone at the end of the shift and headed back to the ward to get it.  
  
When he rounded the corner he nearly got a heart attack. Jenny was just entering the staircase - Peter Hale walking at her side.  
Stiles stood gaping for a minute before he dashed after them.  
He did his best to stay quiet as he followed them outside into the garden. The full moon was bright enough for him to find his footing easily.  
When he reached the garden he hid behind some bushes and stared at the two just strolling through the grounds.  
"The new kid is annoying," Jenny said. "He's disrupting everything we've achieved so far."  
A shudder went down Stiles' back as he heard the man - the catatonic patient! - answer her. His voice was rough from misuse but still melodic.  
"You'll just have to be more adaptable," Peter admonished her. "You should have learned that from me by now. Anyway, he's good at what he does. Careful with the patients, polite, and has a nice reading voice. There are worse people to be stuck with as carer."  
Stiles blushed. That was more praise than he'd gotten in the last two weeks together!  
"He can't help you as much as I do though!" Jenny protested and stopped. Her back was to Stiles but he could imagine the angry look on her face. Peter, who was standing in Stiles' direction, only looked amused.  
"He doesn't know you like I do. He can't bring you outside, allow you the freedom you need."  
"Can't he?" Peter mused. "Let's ask him, shall we?"  
With that he looked directly at Stiles who froze.  
"Come out, Stiles," Peter told him. "I won't bite."  
Somehow, he made that last bit sound like a threat, not the joke it's supposed to be.

Stiles took a deep breath and stepped out of the bushes. "What the hell is going on?" He asked, willing his voice to be steady. "Why are you running around? Hell, why are you conscious?" He glanced at Jenny. "And why aren't you reporting this?"  
She glared at him but Peter laughed. The throaty sound sent shivers down Stiles' spine.  
"I like him, he's feisty," the man declared.  
"Now," he continued, walking closer to Stiles. "To answer your questions: yes, I'm conscious and able to walk around. Jenny hasn't reported me because I asked her to. She's been very helpful in getting me outside every now and again, helping me to recover faster than I would have stuck in that room."  
Stiles glanced at the woman who glared daggers at him. "Why?" He managed to get out.  
Peter's smile was full of teeth and even worse because of the scars surrounding his mouth. "Well, Stiles," he said smoothly and his face started to change. "What do you know about werewolves?"

 

***

 

Hours later, Stiles sat in front of his computer and stared blankly at the page. Werewolves were real.  
Peter had shown him the claws, the fangs - and the _eyes_. Stiles shivered, thinking about those glowing blue eyes. And it wasn't only out of fear. Stiles was aware how attractive Peter Hale was. Hearing him talk in his smooth voice only intrigued him more.  
And talked he had.  
Stiles had listened to the man tell him about the Hales, about the fire, how he'd lain in the coma for years until he'd woken up a few weeks prior.  
"Jenny has been most helpful," he'd said and the nurse smiled at him.  
"She knew what I was; apparently Laura pays her to keep a special eye on me. She took me outside to get some fresh air and moonlight; gathered information..." he'd smiled and Stiles had taken a step back on instinct.  
"What information?" He'd asked.  
"Why, who killed my family, of course," Peter had answered cheerfully. "I know who is responsible for the fire; who helped that bitch commit her crime. And as soon as I'm strong enough, I will kill them."  
Stiles had stared at Peter, who had decided that was probably enough information for one evening. He had sent Stiles home to do his own research and come back the next day. Stiles had agreed without hesitation. He had a lot to think about.  
  
So now he had spent a few more hours perusing the Internet in search of trustworthy information. He didn't know how much he could actually believe but most of it made terrible sense.  
Humans who hunted Werewolves. Werewolves who could survive a house fire and wake up from comas. Werewolves were real. And one of them was planning to kill a lot of people.  
Stiles got up and ready for bed.  
His head was swimming but he fell asleep easily. His last conscious thought was: "I can't let him do that."  
  
***

Stiles had been jittery and absentminded the whole day but when he arrived at the hospital, he had developed a plan. Well. Half a plan. He couldn't wait to tell Peter about it.  
He entered the ward and ran right into Jenny.  
"Hey," he said. "How are -"  
He was interrupted when the nurse took his shirt in her hands and pushed him against the wall.  
"How _dare_ you?" She hissed. "I was here for him since the beginning. _I_ was the one to help him. But it still took me ages to get him to trust me. And you walk in here and he tells you everything within minutes! Why?"  
Stiles coughed, struggling against her. "I don't know. But I found out something interesting yesterday. Apparently, Werewolves have very good hearing."  
Jenny blanched, right as a firm grip on her hair pulled her away from Stiles.  
"I think it's time for you to take care of your other charges," Peter said pleasantly while she fought tears of pain. "Stiles will keep me entertained, I'm sure."  
He let go and Jenny shot Stiles a murderous look before she left.  
  
"Now," Peter said and smiled at Stiles as soon as she was gone. "What's gotten you so excited, Stiles?"

Stiles could barely contain himself until they were in Peter’s room. “You don’t have to kill them,” he blurted out. “I know how to get them the justice they deserve without you becoming a murderer.”

Peter tilted his head curiously. “And why wouldn’t I want to kill them?” he asked softly. “They murdered my family, took years of my life from me – they deserve to die.”

“Well, maybe the woman who actually started the fire does” Stiles amended. “But the ones who helped her might have been blackmailed, or bribed. They shouldn’t suffer the same as she did.”

Peter looked at him for so long, Stiles grew nervous. “I mean,” he continued after a moment, “I know you don’t know me. You have no reason to trust me. But I don’t… I don’t want you to go to prison or something.”

Peter smiled. “There is no prison that would hold me anyway,” he said. “But you might be right. They might not all deserve to die.” He settled more comfortably in his chair. “Well then. Tell me your plan.”

Stiles smiled brightly and sat down in the other chair. “You know that my father is the Sheriff, right? Well, he was never happy with the way the investigation into the fire ended. If we get him to open it up again, he will find something to convict everyone. Especially as we have a witness this time.”

Peter nodded slowly, thinking. “Interesting. And who is this witness?”

“Well, you of course,” Stiles answered, smug as he saw that it actually stunned Peter for a moment. “You’ll wake up, like a normal person. I will call my dad. You will give your statements; saying that you saw these two thugs running around on the grounds, that you overhear them talking about something related to arson. You will tell my dad that your family had an enemy in that woman. And he’ll find the others who’re involved. Laura will be called; you won’t be alone in this. And I’m sure she will help you kill that woman.”

Stiles waited impatiently while Peter thought all of this over.

Finally a slow smile spread on the man’s face, making his burns stand out grotesquely.

“I like you, Stiles,” he purred. “You have a very quick and manipulating mind. You’d make a good wolf.”

Stiles gaped at him for a second. “I… Thank you. I think. But I don’t really want to be a Werewolf.”

Peter blinked. “Really?” he asked. “Huh. Haven’t heard that before. Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Stiles nodded. “I mean, the extra strength and healing sound awesome, but… I kinda have control problems already. I don’t want to imagine myself with killing tendencies.”

Peter’s smile was back and he grasped Stiles’ hand. “That makes you even more impressive,” he breathed as he pulled Stiles’ wrist to his mouth and touched his lips lightly to his pulse.

Stiles shivered but didn’t pull back. Peter’s eyes found his and didn’t let go. “Maybe when all this is over,” he murmured, “I can give you a different kind of bite.”

He didn’t explain himself further but let go of Stiles’ hand. “If I want you with me during the statements, would that be allowed?”

Stiles needed a moment to compose himself before he could answer. “Uh… maybe. My dad will think it weird but he might be okay with it. We’ll have to see.

“Good,” Peter said and stood, moving to his bed to press the Call button. “We’ll inform Jenny and then we’ll do what you suggested.” He smiled. “Your plan is good, Stiles. Let’s hope it works.”

 

***

 

Two hours later Stiles was again sitting in the chair in Peter’s room. Only this time, Peter was lying in bed, looking exhausted, while his father was occupying the other chair, taking notes.

Stiles had called him directly, acting agitated. “Dad, Peter Hale just woke up,” he had told his father who had been concerned when he’d answered the phone. “He’s lucid and wants to make a statement. I told him I would call you. Please, come quickly.”

The Sheriff hadn’t taken long to arrive and after he’d made sure that Stiles was alright he’d softly started to talk to Peter.

Peter had acted exhausted but said he needed to make a statement right now because he knew who had killed his family. “I’ve been kind of awake for a while now,” he had said. “I heard Stiles read and talk to me. He was with me when I woke up. Please, may he stay in the room?”

The Sheriff hadn’t been happy exactly, but had agreed anyway.

And that’s why Stiles was in the chair, holding Peter’s hand “to calm him down” while the man told the Sheriff about the two thugs who had sniffed around the house. He identified them from the pictures in the file Stiles’ dad had brought with him. He told the Sheriff about how he’d overheard the two men talk about “that chemistry teacher” who knew how to cover up an arson attack. Stiles had startled at that mention, blurting out: “Damn, dad, get Harris in prison and everyone at school will love you forever.”

At last, Peter told the Sheriff about Kate Argent. How her family had a grudge on his for something that happened generations ago. How he’d seen her around the house and suspected her to try to get close to his family. How he’d seen her in front of the house as he was trying to flee.

When he was done, he fell back into bed, exhausted. Stiles assumed that wasn’t all fake.

The Sheriff looked at his notes, visibly shaken. “This… this is great,” he said and cleared his throat. “I’ll get this cleared up as soon as possible, Mr. Hale. You’ve gotten me enough evidence to put those people behind bars for a long time.” He stood and shook Peter’s hand. “I know it’s not much,” he said. “But we will get justice for your family.”

Peter smiled thinly. “Thank you, Sheriff. I have full trust in your capabilities. Stiles was full of praise for you as soon as I woke up.”

The Stilinski men shared a quick smile. “Well,” the Sheriff said. “That is good to hear. We’ll let you get some rest. Stiles, let’s go.”

“Actually,” Peter said and smiled again. “I was hoping Stiles could stay a bit longer. I… I wanted to call Laura. Or, more accurately, have Stiles call her. I think that would calm her down more than having the police or the hospital call. If that is okay with you?”

The Sheriff was visibly surprised by this but agreed after a moment. “Not too long, son,” he told Stiles and hugged him. “Mr. Hale needs his rest. Even if he just woke up from a coma.”

Stiles grinned. “Yeah, no worries. I’ll be home soon.”

The Sheriff left and Stiles smiled at Peter. “That went well,” he said and the man nodded.

“Yes, I agree. Thank you for your help, Stiles.” He handed Stiles Laura’s number which he’d gotten from Jenny earlier. “If you’d call her now?”

Stiles checked the time – still early enough, she might still be awake. His head was throbbing with all that had happened until now but he just dialed the number.

“Hello?” came a cautious female voice a few moments later.

“Uh, hey,” Stiles said. “Is this Laura Hale?”

“Yes,” she answered. “Who’s asking?”

He cleared his throat. “Uh, my name’s Stiles. Stilinski. I’m from Beacon Hills.”

There was a sharp intake of breath and he hurried on. “It’s nothing bad,” he assured her. “The opposite in fact. Peter woke up.”

There was silence on the line and then a hiccupping sound. “She’s crying,” Stiles mouthed to Peter with wide eyes. The man laughed silently.

“Hello?”

Stiles startled at the sudden male voice in his ear. “Uh, yeah, hi, this is Stiles Stilinski. I was just telling Laura –“

“I know,” the guy interrupted and Stiles could hear the emotions in his voice. “It’s Derek. Is it true? Peter is awake?”

At a movement from Peter, Stiles put them on speaker.

“Hello, Derek,” the man said and there was another sharp breath on the line. “It’s so good to be able to talk to you.”

 

***

 

Laura and Derek arrived the next day. By then, Stiles’ dad had arrested the two thugs and Harris, and had invited the investigator, who now worked as a bus driver, for questioning.

Stiles had been at the station when they brought in Harris and had smiled smugly at him the whole time. He could practically taste the hate the man was sending his way but he didn’t care. Seeing Harris in cuffs was so worth it.

He was back with Peter when Laura and Derek arrived and excused himself so they could have their reunion in private.

Iris smiled at him and patted his shoulder as he went to the nurse’s station. “You’re a godsend, Stiles,” she told him. “I don’t know how you did it or if it was just coincidence, but you managed to give this family some much needed closure. You’re a good kid, and a good person. Don’t you forget that.”

Stiles stared at her and then excused himself to go to the bathroom where he spent a few minutes crying. Scott’s accident still lasted heavily on him, even though the whole thing with Peter had distracted him. Having someone who knew why he was in the hospital in the first place telling him he was a good person was just too much right now.

A while later he returned to Peter’s room where he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug by Laura and a shorter one by Derek. He didn’t miss the subtle scenting they did, either. Peter had done the same earlier.

“Thank you,” Laura said through tear-filled eyes. “Peter told us everything. Thank you for keeping him from becoming a murderer.”

Stiles wasn’t really sure what to say to that so he just walked over to Peter who took his hand automatically. Laura’s eyes widened at that.

“Oh,” she breathed. “You are…” She smiled brightly. “Well, this explains a lot, then,” she said and hugged Stiles again. “Welcome to the pack, Stiles. When all this is over, we’ll have a big party, I promise.”

Stiles was confused “Uh… what?”

Peter sighed. “Thank you, Laura,” he drawled. “I haven’t actually told Stiles everything yet.”

Laura blinked and then giggled. “Oh, sorry. Don’t worry,” she told Stiles. “We’ll talk about everything later. Just know that we’re thrilled for you.”

Derek nodded at that. Stiles figured he wasn’t a man of many words – or he was just too overcome with emotions, who knew?

“My dad asked me to invite you to stay at our house,” he said to change the subject. “We have a guestroom and a couch – which I can take, if you’re not too offended by what you might smell in my room.” He blushed. “Teenaged boy and all that.”

He actually saw Derek crack a smile at that. “Thanks,” the man said in a surprisingly soft voice. “We appreciate it. But the couch will be fine for me.” He looked at Peter. “Did the doctors say when you’ll be able to leave?”

Peter shook his head. “Not yet. They have to run a lot of tests – normal, after a coma. But at least this way I don’t have to get a new identity. The Sheriff made sure everyone knows to keep me waking up a secret. We don’t want the Argents to know too early, do we?”

Stiles watched Derek flinch at the name. Apparently, Peter saw it, too, and touched his nephew’s arm.  
“It’s okay, Derek,” he said softly, while Laura hugged her brother. “I always knew, I think. It wasn’t your fault she used you. I’m not blaming you.”

“Neither am I,” Laura whispered, while Derek hid his face in his hands and his shoulders shook in silent sobs.

Stiles abruptly understood how Kate Argent had gained access to the Hale house and he shuddered at the thought. Poor Derek. He must have blamed himself all these years. Suddenly he could understand Peter’s wish to kill her even more than before.

He left for his rounds a short while later, promising to take the Hale siblings to his house after his shift.

 

***

 

After the first arrests, the investigation didn’t last long.

The three thugs – one was called out by the other two – were arrested for arson and murder.

The investigator was also arrested and faced jail time for covering up the arson.

Harris wasn’t convicted, but he still lost the trust of the school board and the staff, and was fired. Stiles had been right – the whole school was happy about that.

 Kate Argent was arrested in Nevada, where she’d apparently been on a “hunting trip” and charged with the murder of the Hale family. Her father had gotten her a good lawyer but even he didn’t manage to keep her from death row. Peter was bummed he didn’t get to kill her himself but he finally agreed to let the human justice system do its job.

Laura and Derek went to all the trials. In the end, Derek’s testimony on how Kate had seduced him was the final nail in her coffin, so to speak. He had managed to look at her the whole time, his eyes full of steel, meeting her hate-filled ones. “She said she loved me,” Derek finished his statement. “And then she burned my family alive, sending me a text after, telling me to enjoy family dinner.”

The trial went on for a few weeks, with the Argents making a huge fuss. In the end, though, justice was served.

Stiles was back in school by the time everything was finished. The Hales had contracted an architect to help them design a new house on the grounds – not where the old house stood, but close. It would have enough rooms for the whole family and future pack members. Laura was going to move back for good as soon as the trial was over, moving into an apartment with Peter until the house was done. Derek would finish school and move back later. The rest of the old house was getting demolished, too.

Everyone was moving on and Stiles had become a full member of the Hale pack the day before school started again. It had been a ceremony under the full moon, involving a lot of scenting and cuddling.

His community service had been called off early by his dad so instead he’d only been at the hospital for Peter, until the man was released. The other lucid patients all told him they would miss him, which made him tear up a bit. Jenny had quit and left Beacon Hills after Laura told her she would never give her the bite. She’d gotten paid well, though.

Stiles had been allowed to see Scott again a few days into the trials and introduced him to the Hales. Scott was a bit cautious at first, seeing Stiles with new friends, but after a while he was deep into talking with Derek about the differences between Lacrosse and Basketball.

Stiles spent a lot of his time with Peter. After a lot of badgering, the man had told him about the concept of mates. How he was sure that Stiles was meant for him.

Stiles had been stunned, of course, and had asked for a few days to think about it. He’d talked to Scott (who didn’t know about Werewolves, yet, but would find out after the trial ended), who had voiced his concern regarding Peter and Stiles’ age difference.

 

Stiles was still thinking about this when he went to the apartment a few days after the trial was over. Derek had gone back to New York and the house was coming along well.

“Hey,” he said when Laura opened the door, clearly ready to go out. “I wanted to talk to Peter.”

She smiled. “He’s in the living room. I was just going to get Pizza, you staying?”

He agreed and moved towards the living room.

“Stiles?” she called him back and he turned around. “Whatever you decide, we’ll always be here with you,” she said and he smiled at her before she left.

Peter was watching TV when he came in but he muted his show and looked up at Stiles.

“Hey,” the man said and patted the seat next to him on the couch.

Stiles sat down and leaned against Peter. “Hey yourself,” he answered.

Peter rubbed his nose on Stiles’ hair and then un-muted the TV.

They watched in silence for a while before Stiles spoke again. “I can’t feel this mate-bond you told me about,” he said quietly and Peter turned the TV off again. “I’m not a Werewolf. I only have my own senses to go on.” He still didn’t look Peter in the eye. “You’re very attractive. I like your voice. I admire you for what you survived and I’m so sorry for your loss. I want to make you smile and laugh all the time. I want you to be happy, and I want to be the reason for your happiness.

But I’m also 16 years old and I can’t put my dad in this position. I can’t start a relationship with you right now; and I don’t want to lie to him. If you can accept that; if you can wait… I would like to give us a shot.”

Peter had stayed quiet through Stiles’ whole monologue but now he pushed Stiles’ up and cupped his cheek. He looked into the eyes of his amazing mate and kissed him slowly, thoroughly.

“I can wait,” he breathed against Stiles’ lips. “Two years of waiting until I can touch you like this again is nothing. We’re pack. We’ll be together either way. I will wait.”

Stiles smiled brightly and kissed Peter again. Just to make sure they were on the same page.

The future had never looked so bright.


End file.
